INDG 228 Assignment: Indigenous History within Canada

Indigenous History within Canada
Name:
Institution:
Date:
Consequences of First Nations Involvement in The European Conflict Over Control of North America.
First Nations had inhabited the modern-day Canada for thousands of years before the Europeans discovered Canada. They are among the indigenous people who inhabited the North American continent and depended on the locally available resources in the environment for their livelihood. First Nations economic activities were mainly hunting and fishing and subsistence farming that supported their livelihood. They also traded among themselves and established trade patterns and routes all over North America. When Europeans discovered their world, they quickly sought to establish alliances and trade relationships. At first, the Europeans targeted the resources found in their land. As the benefits of the trade between Europeans and First Nations increased, each European nation strategized on how to take control of North America and control the trade. It was a move that later led to colonization of North America. Since each Europeans nation wanted a piece of the cake, enmity sprouted and fierce competition for the resources often led to wars. The wars had a significant impact on the lives of the First Nations’ members socially, economically and culturally. After in-depth research into the impact of European wars on First Nations, this article describes and analyses the consequences of First Nations involvement in European conflict over control of North America.
The European conflict in North America led to displacement of the indigenous people and mass migrations. The First Nations fled their ancestral lands and seek refuge elsewhere for fear of being collateral damage during the conflicts. Wherever the Europeans clashed, there could be a number of First Nations casualties and disruption of their peaceful lives. Most First Nations communities migrated southwards to present day United States. The First Nation communities fled their ancestral lands which they had inhabited since 1000BC to seek asylum and avoid the devastating effects of the European wars. As the wars intensified, the leaders of First Nations tried to resist the conflict but the Europeans had superior weapons and had long experience in wars both on land and in sea. Some communities migrated southwards and settled in the present day United States CITATION Fra09 \l 1033 (Francis, Jones and Smith 2009).[BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Francis, R. Douglas, Richard Jones, and Donald B. Smith. 2009. Journeys: A History of Canada. Cengage Learning.]
Some of the First Nations or their subgroups relocated since their trade was greatly affected by war. Their economic activities such as fishing were increasingly being affected by the European wars. The First Nations also suffered some casualties especially for those communities which formed alliances and helped either sides if the warring European nations. The direct impact the communities suffered were deaths on the battlefield, wounded soldiers being returned home for better healthcare and war prisoners who were sold off as slaves. Some communities like the Acadians were forcefully evicted from their ancestral lands by the French and the British for seeking to be non-part...